Claire Squires donations pass £500,000 following marathon tragedy

Claire Squires collapsed and died during Sunday’s London marathon. Donations in the wake of her death have passed £500,000. Photograph: Rafa/PA

The family of Claire Squires, who died while competing in the London marathon, paid tribute on Tuesday to an "an incredible, inspirational, beautiful and driven person" as donations to her charity went past half a million pounds.

The surge in giving to her fundraising page came after the 30-year-old collapsed on the final stretch of the 26.2-mile course on Sunday.

Monday saw the largest number of donations ever received in a single day on the JustGiving website.

Squires's family have thanked the tens of thousands of people who have donated and urged people to keep on giving. Shortly after 11pm on Tuesday evening, her page listed more than 49,000 donations.

Squires, a hairdresser from North Kilworth in Leicestershire, had set out to raise £500 as she ran the marathon for a second time.

In a statement, her family said Squires "was loved by so many and is dearly missed by all of us".

They said: "On behalf of Claire's family and all those who knew and loved her – we would like to say thank you so much for everyone's support.

"Claire would be so happy and overwhelmed with the incredible support that has been offered by thousands of people from all over the world. Her family appreciate the kind messages posted online very much."

They added: "For Claire and the Samaritans, please keep the donations coming. Don't stop giving, just like her. It's what she would have wanted."

Catherine Johnstone, the chief executive of the Samaritans, said the charity had been overwhelmed by the response.

"We are truly humbled by the reaction from the public following Claire's tragic death, and are overwhelmed by the support they have shown. At an appropriate time, we will be speaking to Claire's family about what they feel she would have liked these donations to fund."

The charity's annual turnover from individual donations typically totals about £3.8m a year, a spokesman said. Overall, with donations from companies and trust funds, its turnover is about £10m each year.

Tests to establish why Squires collapsed are expected to take place in the coming days. She died with the finishing line only one bend away, after 25 miles of the marathon.